Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the manga nor the anime nor any movies, trading cards, etc. that go under the name Naruto. I do not own any of the characters in the Naruto series. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
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The next day as she approached the room containing Deidara, she was stopped in the hallway by Tsunade. She wondered what her shishou was thinking of doing. Something must be going on for her to be here and not in her office or out gambling.
"Sakura, for the rest of this week, you are to maintain your regular duties at the hospital but you are not to enter the room with the Akatsuki criminal."
"Why, Tsunade-sensei?"
Tsunade sighed, looking down. She could use some sake right about now. "It seems that he missed you. We are trying to use –"
"To use me against him. I understand," Sakura finished.
"Where is she, un? She skipped out yesterday. Don't tell me she is skipping today too, un." The words were stated loud enough to be heard out in the hallway.
"I guess I should leave now," Sakura reluctantly stated. Tsunade nodded.
Sakura decided to use this time to train. She headed out towards an empty training grounds. Chakra control was practiced by creating craters of a set size before dodging the debris. For some reason, it was harder to create smaller craters than larger ones. Perhaps more control was needed, she reasoned.
One day Sakura decides to experiment with some clay. She sneaks into the building where Deidara now resides. She tells the guards on duty that she wants to keep tabs on Deidara's medical records. She goes into the room with his confiscated weapons and supplies and takes some clay. Sakura makes sure not to take enough for it to be noticed by anyone other than someone keeping track of each and every ounce.
Sakura is a nervous wreck as she pulls off her left glove. She is alone in her room as she carefully cuts through the stitches. The mouth is all too eager to chew up the clay that she feeds it, the tongue lashing and curling around the clay after it is spit out. It is simply a medley of shapes, but the meaning behind it is one more step towards self-acceptance. In her excitement, she accidently activates the small bomb. A small boom is heard. "I'm okay, I just dropped a medical book," she tells her worried parents. Perhaps next time she should play with the clay outside. Next time? Sakura wonders.
To occupy the rest of her time, Sakura decides to go on minor missions, C-ranked ones that wouldn't keep her from the hospital for too long. Meanwhile, she has been informed that progress is actually being made concerning Deidara. Her latest mission involves yet another lost cat. The entire afternoon was spent with the cat, most of the time spent trying to keep the cat from clawing her arms to shreds.
When she returned, she found both Tsunade and Deidara awaiting her in the Hokage's office. Apparently a deal was made when she was gone. Unfortunately, it involves her without her consent.
"What do you mean I have to!"
"Sakura, sacrifices have to be made. Deal with it."
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who will have to live with the explosion-obsessed criminal. I've got the feeling that he will blow me up in my sleep and call it artwork!"
"I can if you want, un." Deidara butted in cheekily.
"NO! And stay out of it." Sakura replied.
"Why? From what I can tell, this entire conversation is about me, isn't it, un?" Deidara replied back.
"Dammit!" Sakura banged on the wall with her fist. Boom. A small crater was made. "Oops, my bad."
"Sakura, I will not accept insubordination. This is your duty as a leaf ninja." Tsunade declared, for once sitting at her full height.
"Okay, I'll do it," Sakura begrudgingly stated.
You will probably have to wait a little longer for the next chapter. I haven't started writing it yet.